Former Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, announces that he will run for presidency (Photo: Reuters)

Former spy chief and vice president Omar Suleiman issued a statement on Friday afternoon announcing that he will run for president of Egypt.

Suleiman's statement comes in response to a rally which took place earlier Friday in Abbasiya, Cairo by hundreds of his supporters who demanded Mubarak's long-time Right-hand run for president.

The 75-year-old Suleiman had announced on Thursday that he won't seek the country's highest office due to "difficult political situation and because he cannot fulfill the conditions required to become an official candidate."

In Friday's statement, however, Suleiman explained: "I can not disobey people's will. Even though I said in my previous statement that I will face a lot of troubles and difficulties."

He added that he will withdraw from the race if he fails to collect the required signatures on Saturday.

Suleiman is mandated, like other presidential candidates, to collect 30,000 recommendation forms, in order to run in Egypt's first presidential elections.

Ahram Online welcomes readers' comments on all issues covered by the site, along with any criticisms and/or corrections. Readers are asked to limit their feedback to a maximum of 1000 characters (roughly 50 words). All comments/criticisms will, however, be subject to the following code

We will not publish comments which contain rude or abusive language, libelous statements,
slander and personal attacks against any person/s.

We will not publish comments which contain racist remarks or any kind of racial
or religious incitement against any group of people, in Egypt or outside it.

We welcome criticism of our reports and articles but we will not publish personal
attacks, slander or fabrications directed against our reporters and contributing
writers.

We reserve the right to correct, when at all possible, obvious errors in spelling
and grammar. However, due to time and staffing constraints such corrections will
not be made across the board or on a regular basis.

Please Wait

6

nihad rateb

08-04-2012 02:56pm

1-

2+

presidential race .Mr. Omar Soliman candidacy

Finally a serious man for a serious job

Email

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Please Wait

5

whats

07-04-2012 08:23pm

0-

0+

Too young

76 year old
hahahahahahahahahha

Email

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Please Wait

4

A woman

07-04-2012 03:50pm

1-

1+

Muppet Show

It seems as if Egypt has ended in a kind of a ridiculous "Muppet Show"... Very sad...

A rally in Egypt for Omar Suleiman? It sounds to me like the CIA funded rally in 1953 to overthrow Mossadegh, and install the Shah Reza Pahlevi as the U.S. puppet to control Iran!The U.S. is obviously terrified that the Muslim Brotherhood has nominated its No. 2 leader, Khairat Shater, to run for president. The prospect of another Iran friendly regime in Egypt is the worst possible nightmare for Washington and Israel. Now comes Oman Suleiman, the CIA's man in the Mubarak regime, and the former interlocutor ofEgyptian and Israeli conspiracies to isolate Gaza and starve Hamas, as the official candidate to save the U.S. and Israeli interests in Egypt. It becomes apparent, therefore, whom the U.S. controlled and funded International Republican Institute (IRI) was working for! 43 of its members - including 19 Americans- one of them the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, were arrested by the Egyptian authorities last February for suspicious illegal

Email

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Please Wait

2

Hesham Agag

07-04-2012 10:55am

0-

0+

i am proud

I am proud of the Egyptian scientists,novelists,writers and our great heroes who were killed in our wars
Shekh Hafez Salamah of Suez is a good example
If you see the warm reception which Dr Alaa Alaswani recives in London, you will understand the meaning of being Egyptian ,you want to tell everybody I am EGYPTIAN

Email

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Please Wait

1

Taz

06-04-2012 06:55pm

15-

13+

General Soleiman is the most rational choise for president...

especially in our current transitional period. He was the leader of the most sensitive institution in the country and knows all the ins and outs of politics and international relations. We need a president who will hit the ground running not a newbie taking the president as an on job training. Besides, his is much more presentable and I will be proud to see him as president of Egypt then the bearded unshowered ones

Email

Name

Comment's Title

Comment

Please Wait

Hesham Agag

07-04-2012 10:48am

0-

0+

I am proud

Mr/Miss/Madam Taz

Hesham Agag

07-04-2012 10:46am

0-

0+

I am proud

Madam/Miss/Mrs/Mr Taz

Hesham Agag

07-04-2012 10:41am

2-

0+

Which problem did he solve?

I do not expect too much from an old man who failed in his job .Gaza is the best example for his failur. lots of blood on his hands

Taz

07-04-2012 06:24am

5-

4+

Funny...

that Isreal popped up with both of you gentlemen and I did not even mention it once. we ought to stop obesseing about Isreal and focus on what is more important.I don't subscribe to the idea that Isreal is behind everything that goes wrong with us. Why should I care if Netyunjahu prefers to be president or not. Isreal wished mubarak to remain the president but so did Saudi Arabia and the gulf states. What brings them together?

Taz

07-04-2012 05:52am

0-

5+

Israel's man in Egypt???

I don't subscribe to the idea of Isreal being behind everything the goes wrong with us. Yes, Isreal wished Mubarak to remain the president but so did the Saudi and the gulf states. Isreal or any country for that matter is never in my calcualtions when it comes to chose the president (don't have the Isreal "complex"). General Soleiman is untainted and he's reputable person even in rumours rampant Egypt. Look, Egypt has changed for good and idea of single strongman rules is gone, so I wouldn' hold everyone who worked under Mubarak as guilty by association.We should learn from our own history when many great and talented personalities were excluded because they were part of the king's regime.

this was israel`s man in egypt. And you want him as president? Netanjahu wants him as president. Thats for sure.

Waleed

06-04-2012 08:57pm

6-

5+

Match making and the fate of nations

Mr/Ms Taz seems to confuse the process of match making and that of representing nations. To think that a spy chief is more suitable to run a country based only on his appearance and presumed behind the door knowledge of the wheelings and dealings of Egypt/Israeli relations is a joke. Mr. Solieman could not even keep his vice presidency for few weeks how is that a sign of his political knowledge!!